Airship



.l. SCHUETT'E. AIRSHIP. APPLICATION mzo mus, m9. 1 ,416,580, Patented May 16, 1922.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

ATTORNEY J'OHANN SCI-IUE'ITE, OF ZEESZEN-KOENIGS-WUSTERHAUSEN, NEAR BERLIN, G ERll'IA'NY.

AIRSHIIE.

Application filed April 25, 1919.

To all whom z'tmag concern:

Be 1t known that I, JoHANN Sonnn'r'rn, engineer, citizen of the German Republic,

residing at Zeesen1h:oenigs-Vllusterhausen,

near Berlin, Germany ha-ve'invented certain new and useful Improvements in Ali'ships,

(for which I filed applications 'forpatent in Germany January 17th, 1916, patent al- ,j acket filled with air isgenerally formed between the said cells and-the envelope.

When the airship rises, that gas in the cells has the tendency to expand theinner pressure in the cells increase until at a given pressure the safety valves will openand allow of the gas escaping. Heretofore the said safety valves were generally so arranged that they opened into the said jacket space. The escaping gas therefore spread in the said space, mixed with the air contained therein and gradually diitused throughthe envelope. The result was that a'jacket of a mixture of hydrogen and air was formed around the cells, which mixture would be maintained for a more orless long time according to the permeability of the envelope, and would,in consequence of the envelope highly explosive character form a constant danger, so much the more as it has,

hereunto been found impossible to control the mixture of air and tain limits.

Another method of disposingthe safety valves consists in their being fitted in the envelope. This arrangement has the dis advantage that, the same as with the hereinbefore described method, the gas may under certain conditions, after escaping, pass downward to the cars, or that the valves are hydrogen within cerinaccessible and can therefore not be 'kept under constant control.

The obgect of the present invention, is,

now, to control the gas escape in such a manner, that the escaping hydrogen wilLpass off with thefleast possible danger, and is, for this purpose rapidly and thoroughly mixed with air to such a degree that the ensuing mixture isbeyond the dangerous ratio (viz 9, 5-66, 5%), so that there'will be no danger Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May M3, 1922.

Serial No. 292,765.

of explosion and yet the readily accessible valves allow of a good control.

In the drawings F 1 to 4 illustrate several modifications of the present invention by way of example. Figs. 5 to-16 show in diagrammatical longitudinal sections and plans, respectively, several modifications of a detail of the arrangement. In Fig. l, which shows the central portion oi? a rigid type airship (a are the individual cells, is the envelope and c the air jacket. Between two cells is built a chimneylike liue (Z.

This flue is open at the top and bot-tom and extends from the lowestpart of the air jacket up through the envelope. The said lowest part of the air jacket is formed by the space or runway extending longitudinally in the bottom of the ship andto which the outer air has access through-the porous outer shell in the body of the ship, as well as through numerous small openings and slots at lids anddoors in the hull.

The flue is, therefore, in communication with the atmosphere at top and bottom. The safety valves 0 of the gasv cells open into its lower portion.

The escaplng hydrogen will rise through the flue and, in consequence of its velocity, it will suck the air from thelowev part of the air jacket, the quantity of such air sucked in being regnlable within any desired limits, either by accordingly diu'iensioniug the cross section of theflue and of i'hevalves,

respectively, and then by raising or loweringthepressure at which the valves will open, whereby the velocity of the escaping gas an be conside'ably raised or reduced.

The valves and the air inlets onto the flue may also be disposed in other suitable ways. The essential ileature consists in utilizing the velocity of the escaping gas'ii'or carrying with it and n'lixing into it air in quantities regulable by aid of the ratio ot' the cross areas of the flue and the valves, respectively, or by means oi the releasing pressure of the valves, or by both at one time.

The flue may, at its lower portion, be so disposed'that it will suck in the air at such points, where a good ventilation is desirable. Thereby an overpressure will be produced, which will Jrevent or at least reduce the diffusing of ydrogen throughthe envelope.

According to Fig. 2 the action of the flue may be increased, by the upper part of the flue'being fitted with a suction head, 7 so that the draft produced by thetravelling of the airship will increase the velocity of the escaping mixture.

As shown in Fig. 3 the suction head 7 may be provided with a jacket 7 surrounding it and spaced from it and communicatin with the air jacket 0 of the airship. With this arrangement the air jacket is vented of any gas therein contained. The action of the jacket f on the air jacket 0 may be further increased when, as shown on Fig. 4:, the suction head 7" terminates within the jacket f as is the case in an injector, so that the velocity of the gas in the flue d is further utilized.

lVith all these arrangements there will remain in front of the upper mouth of the suction head a space which, when-the airship is travelling will not be affected by the current of air produced by such travel. It has now been found that the gas mixture was still explosive close to the envelope and immediately behind the mouth of the suc tion head, whilst a few yards away from the suction head and at a short distance from the envelope the gas mixture had already been mixed with air to such a degree, that the explosive ratio was already exceeded. This is caused by the gas mixture escaping from the suction head adhering for a certain time to the envelope, as the air cannot enter into it sufiiciently quickly close behind the mouth of the suction head, i. e., in the so-called wind shadow of the same "to reduce the ratio of the mixture to the safe extent. In order to obviate this drawback the suction head may, as shown in Figs. 5 to 16, be provided with passages or guide walls, so that the draft produced by the travelling airship will be conducted, close behind the suction head, to the envelope.

According to Figs. 5 and 6 the suction head is provided with a central passage 9 inclined towards the envelope and opening at the mouth end of the suction head, close to the envelope, so that the draft wind will flow through this passage in the direction indicated by the arrow and will pass over the envelope immediately behind the mouth of the suction head, so that also here the gas mixture will be intensely mixed with air. According to the modification shown in Fi 7 and 8 a central passage I1. is likewise provided which extends parallel to the envelope and acts in the same manner as the passage 9. In the modification according to Figs. 9 and 10 two passages 2' are provided at the sides of the suction head, through which passages the air flows. These two passages meet in front of the mouth of the suction head so that the draft must flow over the envelope immediately in front of the mouth of the suction head. In the modification according to Figs. 11 and 12 a battle is is disposed in such a manner over the suction head that the draft is likewise directed into It is obvious that also other modifications are possible but all must meet the condition that the draft produced by the travel of the ship is conducted towards the envelope of the ship immediately behind the mouth of the suction head.

WVhat I claim is:

1. In an airship of the rigid type, the combination of gas cells, valves for the gas cells; and a flue into which an air space adjacent the lower end of said flue said valves open, said flue extending upwardly through the ship and communicating freely with the atmosphere at its upper end and having its lower end open to said air space.

2. In an airship of the rigid type, the combination of gas cells; valves for the gas cells; an air jacket enclosing said cells; and a fine extending upwardly through the ship and into which said valves open, said flue having an open, lower end which communicates with the lower portion of the air jacket, and having its upper end freely communicating with the atmosphere.

3. In an airship of the rigid type, the'combination of gas cells; valves for the gas cells; an air jacket enclosing said cells, and a flue extending upwardly through the ship and into which said valves open, said flue having an open, lower end which communicates with the lower portion of the air jacket, and having a suction head provided at its upper end which communicates freely with the atmosphere.

4;. In an airship of the rigid type, the combination of gas cells; valves for the gas cells; an air jacket enclosing said cells; and a. flue extending upwardly through the ship and into which said valves open,'said flue having an open, lower end which communicates with the lower portion of the air jacket, and having a suction head provided at its upper end, which communicates both with the flue and with the air jacket.

5. In'an airship of the rigid type, thecombination of gas cells; valves for gas cells;

anair jacket enclosing said cells, and a flue extending upwardly through the ship and into which said valves open, said flue having an open lower end which communicates with the lower portion of the air jacket, and having a suction head provided at its upper end which communicates freely with the atmosphere and a jacket enclosing said suction head and spaced therefrom to communicate with said air jacket.

6. In an airship of the rigid type, the combination of gas cells; valves for gas cells; an air jacket enclosing said cells; and a flue extending upwardly through the ship and into which said valves open, said flue having an open, lower end which communicates with the lower portion of the air jacket, and having a suction head provided at its upper end which communicates both with the flue and with the air jacket and which has guide means for leading the air encountered during the travel of the ship toward the outer shell of the ship immediately behind the mouth of said head.

JOHANN SGHUETTE. 

